Amtrak

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Amtrak's board of directors selected Alexander Kummant, a veteran rail and industrial executive, as its new president and chief executive officer Tuesday. Kummant will assume the job Sept. 12. He will take over for David Gunn, who was fired last November. Kummant previously served as regional vice president of the Union Pacific Railroad. Most recently, he served as executive vice president and chief marketing officer of Komatsu America Corp. David J. Hughes has been acting as the railroad's interim president since Gunn's firing.

NEW BUFFALO Â? Soon travel to the other side of Lake Michigan will be available in, perhaps, less than one hour from New Buffalo. An agreement has been reached to build an Amtrak passenger station beside the railroad's high speed line at the lakefront in New Buffalo. There will be four daily non-stop trips to and from the Amtrak station in Chicago's loop. "We hope it can be completed this summer's construction season," said Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari. "It's a done deal," said Bob Westergren, who has served the past few years as mayor.

LANSING (AP) ? The high cost of gas is pushing many travelers between Michigan and Chicago to passenger trains. The Detroit News reports that the number of riders on several Amtrak train routes rose between October and July. Amtrak tells the newspaper that the number of people riding Pontiac-Detroit-Ann Arbor-Jackson-Chicago lines was up 5.9 percent over that period. The Port Huron-East Lansing-Chicago line has seen a 6.5 percent jump in riders, while the Grand Rapids-St. Joseph-Chicago line was up 7.2 percent.

NILES Â? A rubber stamp? ItÂ?s an accusation he has heard before. But, no, says U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, heÂ?s not a rubber stamp. The 10-term congressman from MichiganÂ?s 6th District pointed out during a stop in Niles on Thursday that while he does usually support President Bush, he doesnÂ?t in all cases. As an example, he said he worked recently to restore a $214 million appropriation for Amtrak, despite the presidentÂ?s initial efforts to eliminate federal funding for the passenger train service.

SOUTH BEND Â? South BendÂ?s Judy Woodfolk has seen a lot of things during her 15 years of working for Amtrak. Even, yes, some violence. The train attendant is sure about one thing, though: She is pleased with AmtrakÂ?s plans to step up security. Â?Definitely,Â? she said. It will make people a bit more at ease, she said. And be helpful to smaller stations on the routes, like ones in St. Joseph, Niles, Dowagiac and South Bend. Â?It was definitely necessary,Â?

A train ride to Chicago may soon take less time. Amtrak is looking to increase train speeds on the stretch of track between Niles and New Buffalo, but not everyoneÂ?s happy about it. The numbers of passengers on all three Amtrak lines that run from Michigan to Chicago are up at least 5 percent from last year. Â?It's just a way of staying connected with relatives and avoiding the traffic and the hassles of Chicago,Â? said passenger Lisa Coughlin. Now Amtrak is working to make that trip a little faster.

Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh is pushing Congress for additional funding for Amtrak to maintain and upgrade operations. As hard a sell as any increase will be in the next budget, Congress should keep this one on track. The federally owned passenger rail service is projecting 27 million riders this year, up from last year's record of 25.8 million. The past five years represent a noteworthy turnaround. The decline, beginning in the 1920s, that preceded it, as well as the underinvestment that followed, spawned a legacy of decrepit equipment and facilities.

Jeff Robinson, choir instructor for Dowagiac Union Schools, and his students volunteered their time recently to clean the historical Dowagiac train depot, washing all 110 of its windows. This is the fifth year choir students have volunteered their time. Ron Leatz, a volunteer of the Michigan Association of Railroad Passengers, coordinated the effort. The city of Dowagiac treated the students to ice cream at Caruso's Candy Kitchen later that afternoon. Built in 1903 by Michigan Central Railroad, Dowagiac's train depot is serviced daily by Amtrak and also houses the Greater Dowagiac Chamber of Commerce and the city's Dial-a-Ride office.

NILES -- The lights will be brighter than ever for the Four Flags Garden Club's 21st Hometown Christmas celebration at the historical Amtrak depot, 600 Dey St. A lighting ceremony is set for 4:30 to 6 p.m. Dec. 1. Fifteen minutes before the 6 p.m. throwing of the switch, a drawing will take place for two round-trip tickets to Chicago, courtesy of Amtrak. The depot-illumination tradition stems from the 1991 John Candy movie "Only the Lonely" that had its final scene filmed at the depot.

Jeff Robinson, choir instructor for Dowagiac Union Schools, and his students volunteered their time recently to clean the historical Dowagiac train depot, washing all 110 of its windows. This is the fifth year choir students have volunteered their time. Ron Leatz, a volunteer of the Michigan Association of Railroad Passengers, coordinated the effort. The city of Dowagiac treated the students to ice cream at Caruso's Candy Kitchen later that afternoon. Built in 1903 by Michigan Central Railroad, Dowagiac's train depot is serviced daily by Amtrak and also houses the Greater Dowagiac Chamber of Commerce and the city's Dial-a-Ride office.

NILES -- The lights will be brighter than ever for the Four Flags Garden Club's 21st Hometown Christmas celebration at the historical Amtrak depot, 600 Dey St. A lighting ceremony is set for 4:30 to 6 p.m. Dec. 1. Fifteen minutes before the 6 p.m. throwing of the switch, a drawing will take place for two round-trip tickets to Chicago, courtesy of Amtrak. The depot-illumination tradition stems from the 1991 John Candy movie "Only the Lonely" that had its final scene filmed at the depot.

SOUTH BEND -- Amtrak's 41-year-old South Bend station counted more than 23,600 boardings and alightings last year, an increase driven partly by rising gas prices and partly by frustrated travelers seeking alternatives to intrusive airport security. The station, served by the Lake Shore Limited and the Capitol Limited, provides two morning trains each day to Chicago for connections to hundreds of western cities and two evening trains each day to New York, Boston, Washington, D.C., and points between.

KALAMAZOO, -- Amtrak says there will be some train cancellations and delays starting April 16 on the routes from Chicago to Port Huron and Pontiac, Mich. Amtrak said Thursday that the service interruptions are necessary to allow track work. It says normal travel times should return by early May. The passenger rail service says certain trains will be cancelled April 16-18, while slowdowns of up to 90 minutes will continue until the work is done. During those three days, Amtrak will transfer passengers to buses for the Kalamazoo, Battle Creek and Jackson stops.

Get ready for some higher speeds by Amtrak trains traversing southwest Michigan and northwest Indiana. On Tuesday, Amtrak, in conjunction with the Michigan Department of Transportation, announced it had received federal approval to increase the maximum speed of Amtrak trains traveling through the region to 110 miles per hour. That's a boost of 15 mph from the current 95 mph top speed. The higher speed is expected to trim travel time on the Detroit-Chicago corridor by 10 minutes.

Get ready for some higher speeds by Amtrak trains traversing southwest Michigan and northwest Indiana. On Tuesday, Amtrak, in conjunction with the Michigan Department of Transportation, announced it had received federal approval to increase the maximum speed of Amtrak trains traveling through the region to 110 miles per hour. That's a boost of 15 mph from the current 95 mph top speed. The higher speed is expected to trim travel time on the Detroit-Chicago corridor by 10 minutes.

NILES -- The Four Flags Garden Club will host its 20th annual Hometown Christmas celebration at the Amtrak depot, 600 Dey St., from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Dec. 3. The celebration will include a 6 p.m. lighting ceremony of Christmas lights affixed to the depot's exterior. Initially installed for the filming of the 1991 John Candy movie "Only the Lonely," the lights used in the movie have since been replaced by energy-efficient LEDs and still burn as a result of a rewiring fundraising campaign.

NILES -- Need to be in Chicago early -- say, 7:30 a.m. -- and don't want to drive? At least this weekend, Amtrak is making it possible for people who live in southwestern Michigan. Rick Harnish, of the Midwest High Speed Rail Association, announced Tuesday that Amtrak, over Labor Day weekend, will add, on a test run basis, a fifth train on its Chicago-Detroit corridor that will provide service between Chicago and Kalamazoo. Among the stops will be Niles and the beachfront station in New Buffalo.

The interests of public transportation will be well-served by the development of high-speed rail in the Great Lakes region over the next decade. It is a transportation plan for the future -- an affordable, efficient way for people to travel from one population center to another. In order for high-speed passenger trains to serve the greatest public interest possible, they should serve the most people possible. That is why we believe the choice between a northern route (Cleveland through South Bend to Chicago)

CRIME & COURTS Third arrest made in meth lab case CASSOPOLIS -- A third person has been arrested in connection with a methamphetamine lab police said they discovered Tuesday at a residence on Calvin Center Road. Arrested Wednesday on four drug charges and three felony firearm counts was David Blankenship, 39. His bond was set at $150,000 at his arraignment in Cass County 4th District Court. Two women also have been arrested in the case, which surfaced when an Elkhart area church pastor found trash at a rental property in Cass and moved it to Elkhart.